most other groups are doing big hikes to get to their sites, but for birds the most are in the botanical garden with plantings from all over the world-----From the dining  hall deck there's a bird feeder of fruit and brilliant tanagers of all colors come to feed   Today there were two toucans in the tall trees, but missed the white crowned parrot but saw it fly away  Spent hours with Kim one student at a picnic table on far side of garden and birded for hours----even a summer tanager which I recognized from East side Rockies in Colorado finding it as a rare species high on a mesa----same place I found rare kites, which are supposed to be here so hope to see that another day.   Raucous parrotlets flew up to a palm tree then completely disappeared--in it  

Tuesday:   The Research Station is beautiful  We are living in the middle of gardens of plants from all over the world.  Our cabin is high and we have a porch looking through the forest out throught the jungle---In the evening the setting sky is orange and frogs and crickets serenade,while morning the birds wake us.  Breakfast is at 6:30  but it is light and the dining room with decks is a lovely spacious place to eat and meet with others.  Food is excellent--healthy with fruit and vegetables----love the papaya and mango-----had star fruit drink--too sweet, but the iced tea was different and good ,    After Scott went thru safety and orientation,  we had a naturalist walk led by Rodo who gave us a tour of the garden, emphasizing certain trees, such as the strangler fig----being the largest in the garden, looking at undersides of big leaves for bats who might be sleeping there, drumming on the trunk of trees which store water----When I traveled here years ago I said I wanted to return to study the trees and tropical vegetation----and here I am, so I hope to meet with Rodo sometime to learn more and access the herbarium.  During the walk we saw a motmot sitting still on a branch of a tree,  black vultures and swallows in the sky,  heard a trogon, and then several chakalacas (large birds something like turkeys landing in the trees)  which my student group wrote down on our bird list later.  Later in the group we went out on the porch of the dining area where there's a bird feeder and were able to identify many colorful birds-----iridescent green honeycreepers;  several tanagers,  thrushes, and a black one with a scarlet back-----but the blue capped motmot was the most breathtaking with blue cap, green under chin ---all the colors of the rainbow  ---with a long tail.  Tomorrow we'll spend time trying to identify which of 60 hummingbirds we see.  Thank goodness Scott has provided us with bird books.  This evening Ngobe and Bugle  tribe members from Pananama came to participate with us during the next week.  Everyone introduced themselves---all students moved by having so many indigenous voices heard.

Sunday:  so glad to be in Costa Rica after running for our connecting flight   Scott was right there to see we all got in the van to the hotel.   Hotel Aerpuerto is a tropical gem in the city----a great way to be introduced to Costa Rica.  Over dinner we met most of the other particants, but some missed there connection sadly and Jessica had to stay to meet them.


Monday:    All our heavy suitcases loaded on the big blue bus----seemed forever to get finally out of all the traffic in San Jose and breathe a sigh of relief to be climbing up the green hills and to be able to get out and walk in the high grasses at over 10,000 high above treeline.    A delight to see the clubmosses, found blueberries  and blackberries to eat, and even cranberries( like alpine areas of Mt. Washington, NH),  teeny teeny red berries which I want to identify, teeny blue and white flowers which are like what I saw in Croatia in their limestone alpine areas, and then views out to the fog and wooded mountians ---Pacific on one side,  Caribbean on another
Then off to eat at high elevation road stop----with hummingbird feeders and could see 4 species of hummingbirds. At green plantain--like  a starch. Peace lilies grow down the garden slopes to meet the tropical forest and sound of bird songs beckon therein.  I am mentoring a project on birds, and with my 2 mentees: Jonathan and Kim we did a short walk to see or hear the hummingbirds which were resting in the bushes between feeding on the feeders. A little bird with sparrow like body and crest is indeed a sparrow.  Jaiden thought she lost her purse, but found it again on the bus.   The bus ride is so long and most of us tired and in and out of sleep or dealing with  car sickness.  Bought cheesits--salt and fat helped the latter.    Went along a large river and stopped again in a town with sweltering heat and humidity.  The high area was so refreshing.     On the bus again and finally came to San Vito and driving then up hills --mostly pasture land dropping steeply on either side with small farms.  All of this land was primary forest until 1950s when the government got Italiens to settle here and convert the land to farmland.  The land of the research station is also not primary forest and we learn it was once pastureland which was converted to a botanical garden of species from all over the world, and then bought in the 1970 by OTS. And so we arrive at Los Cruces Biological Station and welcomed by Rhode bioliogist  who helps us get all of our luggage out -----and moved to the lovely cabins where we are staying---I'm rooming with Monette from Heritage U who is working with Chad on education project.